


under the moonlight

by sebaekslotto



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, But no one dies, Care of Magical Creatures, Don't get attached to any characters, Dragons, Fantasy AU, Fluff, Forbidden Forest, Harry Potter AU, Hippogriff, M/M, Unicorns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2019-01-17 21:30:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12374481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebaekslotto/pseuds/sebaekslotto
Summary: Head Prefect, perfect role model Zhang Yixing isn't quite so perfect after all when Byun Baekhyun, a student a year below him, discovers his secrets.





	under the moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the 2017 round of the xingtomybaek fic fest. For the person who came up with this prompt, I did take some liberties, but I hope this lives up to what you hoped for! There is a hidden side pairing in this, unrequited love, many broken rules, and not following whatsoever the rules of how dragons work in the Harry Potter universe (I took more from the Inheritance Cycle's rules for dragons, which is a fantastic book series by the way). Please enjoy!

Baekhyun laughed as he saw one of his best friends stumble towards him, coated in sweat and hair messy with a relieved smile on his face. Jongdae was still wearing his jade green Quidditch robes and had his broom in his hand when he trudged to where Baekhyun and Chanyeol were standing. Chanyeol moved in and hugged him, crushing him in his grasp until Jongdae made a fake choking sound and Chanyeol pulled away.

“Hey, I’m all sweaty!” Jongdae whined. Chanyeol just shrugged his shoulders, still smiling. Baekhyun threw an arm around Jongdae’s shoulder, squeezing him lightly in congratulations.

“You did great! The Hufflepuff seeker stood no chance against you!” Baekhyun exclaimed. Jongdae scoffed before smiling back at him. 

The three of them made their way towards the castle and away from the Quidditch stadium, but it wasn’t long before more of their friends in their year, all from the other Houses, began crowding them to congratulate Jongdae.

It wasn’t a secret that Baekhyun, Jongdae, and Chanyeol were quite popular. Ever since first year, their overall happy and joking dynamic had attracted a lot of people. Eventually, they had grown from the three of them to a large connected friend group overlapping the different Houses and years. Baekhyun didn’t mind the extra attention - the more, the merrier is what he had always believed.

Jongdae, as the only one of their friends who had been playing in the Quidditch match, was the immediate center of attention as they began to walk in a steadily growing group. Baekhyun was forced to let him go as various excited conversations picked up around him. He didn’t mind however, as he joined the conversations and continued to walk up towards the castle.

“Wait, shouldn’t we just sit here for a while?” Jongdae suggested and the people in his vicinity agreed as they gathered under a tree on the grounds. It was a weekend and none of the students had much to do anyway, so they began to speak about the Quidditch match and the highlights of it. Jongdae was the center of it all, and judging by the bright grin and laughs that he let out despite his aching body, he didn’t seem to mind.

The conversation slowly went from Quidditch to other stories that Jongdae had, many of which included Baekhyun and Chanyeol. The three of them were famous for the mischief they would pull together around the castle. Their fellow students were listening intently as they each told a part of the story before another would cut in and add a forgotten detail.

Jongdae and Chanyeol were in the middle of a particularly exciting story, describing the time when they had run into the Forbidden Forest after a niffler from their Care of Magical Creatures class, using hand gestures and interrupting each other to add in details and soak in the laughter. 

It was unexpected when Wendy, a pretty Gryffindor girl, spoke up.

“Wait, Baekhyun, how come you didn’t go in after them? Are you brave enough to go into the Forbidden Forest?” She asked with a twinkle in her eye and the group around them reacted, all of them turning to look at Baekhyun, who had been listening to Jongdae and Chanyeol with a small smile on his face. He decided to relish in the attention and gave Wendy a wink as he spoke with confidence.

“Of course I’m brave enough!” He exclaimed, flashing her a teasing smile as their friends laughed around them. Wendy looked down in embarrassment at the fact that Baekhyun was shamelessly flirting with her (it wouldn’t be the first time), but she wasn’t finished yet.

“Why don’t you go in right now then and prove it?” She challenged. 

Baekhyun was only a little taken aback. He looked at their surroundings and at the sky and saw that it was sunset already and their fellow classmates had left for the most part. No one would notice Baekhyun leave and go into the off limits area.

“Well?” Wendy called, egging him on, and the other sixth years looked at him expectantly. If there was one thing to know about Baekhyun however, it was that he would never let go of a possible opportunity to cause some more mischief.

He stood up with a confident grin to the group’s enthusiastic reactions. He recognized Wendy’s giggle and turned around and blew a cheesy kiss, knowing that he was going a little too far but still enjoying the blush that coated her cheeks afterwards.

The section of the grounds they were on was close enough to the forest that the other students would be able to see him walk in clearly; there was no backing out now (not that he would have backed out, of course). Baekhyun stopped once he reached the tree line and inspected it, looking up and down to see that the forest crossed both ends of the Hogwarts grounds and farther. He would make sure not to go in too far - the last thing he wanted was to end up lost.

“Come on, Baek, go in already!” Baekhyun heard Jongdae’s voice yell over the others, whining like he always did. Baekhyun couldn’t help but smile at his friend’s teasing even though no one could see his expression as he stepped into the forest.

He knew that simply taking a few steps in wouldn’t be enough to satisfy his friend’s request, so he continued to walk, the leaves crunching under his feet and the trees’ low-hanging branches hitting him every so often. Baekhyun walked far enough away that the sounds of his friends’ carrying voices faded completely and he was surrounded by the sound of the animals nearby and the wind in his ears as it passed him.

Baekhyun had to admit that the forest was, indeed, scary. When he looked up, the sky had lost its sunset glow and was darkening, leaving Baekhyun with the empty feeling of being alone. He continued to walk, however, telling himself he’d only go a few hundred more paces before turning back and walking straight out onto the grounds again. He whistled halfheartedly to pass the short amount of time until he reached his turnaround point, in between two trees in the distance.

When he reached the point, however, he heard another noise, one that didn’t belong to the wildlife around him. It sounded faintly like the distant roar of an animal, making him stop whistling and freeze, listening and ignoring the rush of adrenaline go through him.

There it was again, and it definitely was a roar. It was not as scary as Baekhyun had perceived it to be, more like the call of a young creature, but he was wary nonetheless. He crouched next to the tree, trying to avoid the gaze of the animal as he listened again to see if it was getting closer. His heart was beating fast, but he tried to calm it down as he thought of what the group out on the grounds would think when he explained this run-in with danger when he emerged. 

Then he heard a voice. It was too far away to make out the exact words but it was one he thought he recognized, though wouldn’t have guessed to ever be found in this forest. He determined that he must certainly be imagining things, but then he heard the unmistakable crunch of the forest floor under footsteps and he cursed softly, pushing further back behind the tree.

The footsteps got closer until the point that Baekhyun knew they were right next to the tree. He held his breath and watched the person walk by him obliviously, and his suspicions were confirmed.

The person was none other than Yixing, a seventh year Hufflepuff that Baekhyun recognized from a couple of his NEWT-level classes. Baekhyun had never considered him a friend, but his voice was burned into his brain from how many times the Hufflepuff had answered professor questions perfectly in class. The extent of Baekhyun’s knowledge of him was that he was insufferably smart and took pride in his prefect position for the Hufflepuffs. But now, the boy who almost never crossed Baekhyun’s mind before then obviously had some secret in the Forbidden Forest, and Baekhyun was eager to find out what it was.

Yixing’s footsteps had faded for a moment, but they returned now and Baekhyun knew that he had to discover what he was up to. When the boy was only a few feet from him, Baekhyun stood abruptly from his hiding place and turned to face the Hufflepuff.

Yixing’s eyes widened and he dropped what he was holding - when Baekhyun looked down at the item, he noticed that it was an exceptionally large piece of meat before Yixing scrambled to pick it up. Baekhyun had one eyebrow raised at him in question and Yixing seemed terrified.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, Baekhyun, but I swear I’m not doing anything bad,” Yixing half-pleaded, his voice shaky as he realized he had been caught. 

Baekhyun listened less to the words and more to the fact that Yixing knew his name, which was rather unexpected, seeing as he had never talked to him directly before. He shrugged it off, assuming that he had heard it from elsewhere and stopped dwelling on it. He looked Yixing straight in the eye, feeling a little rebellious for standing up to the seventh year who was acting so much in the wrong.

“Well, you’re in an off-limits area holding a giant slab of meat, so I think I have a right to know what it is that you’re doing, before deciding whether I should turn you in or not,” Baekhyun spoke, maintaining his usual confident composure, even though his feelings didn’t quite match. Yixing’s eyes widened more with dread before he began to protest.

“I can show you what it is, but please, don’t tell anybody,” Yixing begged.

Baekhyun crossed his arms. He genuinely wanted to take Yixing’s offer, and was only playing the part of deliberating on his choice for the prolonged expression on the older boy’s face. Finally, he shrugged and stepped back, making a gesture with his arm to signal that he wanted Yixing to go first.

“I’ll be the judge of whether I should tell, but after you,” Baekhyun said.

Yixing still had a wary look on his face, and was hesitating to step forward. He appeared to be reconsidering his offer, and Baekhyun raised his eyebrows again before the Hufflepuff finally caved and began to walk ahead of Baekhyun. He walked with much more confidence than Baekhyun had while entering, and he knew then that this definitely wasn’t Yixing’s first time in the Forbidden Forest, not even close. Despite his confidence, he hadn’t expected to go deeper into the forest and stuck to Yixing as close as his pride would allow him. The older boy looked like he had a sense of where he was and wasn’t even fazed by the occasional strange noises that reached their ears.

Yixing suddenly slowed down and stepped quietly, more alert than Baekhyun had ever seen. Baekhyun couldn’t help the wave of fear that washed over him. Baekhyun followed him, hoping that they weren’t about to encounter something that could kill them both easily.

“It’s just me,” Yixing cooed and Baekhyun had a very bad feeling in his stomach as Yixing walked through low-hanging tree branches and practically disappeared from sight. A low growl followed that definitely belonged to the animal Baekhyun had heard earlier and he had to physically fight the urge to run away as fast as he could.

“Baekhyun, come in, it’s okay,” Yixing called and Baekhyun swallowed nervously. He closed his eyes and took a breath even though his entire body was screaming at him to escape and reached out to push a branch back, revealing Yixing and what he had hidden. Baekhyun gasped at what he saw.

Besides Yixing was none other than a green _dragon_.

The creature had a long slender neck and bat-like wings that were folded into its body. Its head was horned and its eyes were large and staring right at Baekhyun. He took the smallest bit of comfort in the fact that the dragon was obviously not full-grown and its shoulder only reached past Yixing’s height a little bit - Baekhyun had read of larger dragons, some that were almost hundreds of feet in length. But the one currently in front of him was eyeing him uncertainly, and Baekhyun still had that urge to run.

“Yixing, is… is that-” For the first time in a long time, Baekhyun was at a loss for words. He just looked at Yixing with wide eyes and the other boy only smiled. 

“Yes, it’s a dragon. I’ve been raising her for a couple of weeks now and she’s already this big,” Yixing turned and grinned at the animal fondly and even reached out to pat her neck once. The dragon seemed to like the touch and finally took its eyes off of Baekhyun to look at Yixing. Baekhyun couldn’t believe what he was seeing. 

“Yixing, that’s going to get so big you won’t be able to hide it anymore! It’s been illegal to keep a dragon as a pet now for ages. You could get expelled for this-” Baekhyun finally found his words and couldn’t get them to stop. All the reasons why this was a bad idea were flooding into his mind and he was certain now that he would be in huge trouble if he was caught.

Yixing’s eyes widened and he held a hand out as if he was worried Baekhyun was going to run and turn him in at that moment. To be quite honest, Baekhyun was considering it but he still couldn’t get past the fact that there was an _actual dragon in front of him_. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Jongdae and Chanyeol’s faces when he told them.

“That’s why you can’t tell anyone,” Yixing said and Baekhyun scoffed, standing up straighter. The familiar confidence had started to slowly come back once he had realized that the dragon didn’t seem threatened with his presence anymore, even arranging her legs to lay under her so she could sit down, her jade green eyes staring at him openly now. Baekhyun knew she was loyal to Yixing and wasn’t going to make any move to attack him.

“Not even your best friends, Baekhyun, I’m serious,” Baekhyun turned to look into Yixing’s eyes and he seemed much more terrified at the fact that his dragon was found out than Baekhyun was at the prospect of her attacking him. Baekhyun softened a little. “If anyone else found out, I don’t know what I’d do. I need her.”

Yixing was pleading now and Baekhyun looked up into the stars, not wanting to see his desperate expression. He had never had a secret of this size to keep to himself before, but he didn’t want to bring himself to admit that he genuinely wanted to see the dragon again.

_No, Baekhyun, you will not be involved in this. If Yixing wants to run some sort of illegal magical creature zoo, then he can but you won’t-_

“I’ll even let you come visit her if you want. Please, anything you want, just don’t tell,” Yixing begged one more time and Baekhyun let out a small sound of frustration before he caved, the train of thoughts warning him against becoming involved in this abruptly stopping.

“Okay, fine! Under one condition, though,” He turned and looked at Yixing, whose expression brightened. “I will see her again but if she seems even the _least_ bit dangerous, I’m reporting her,” Baekhyun said, trying not to make his voice waver as he spoke when he noticed that the dragon was looking at him again. He couldn’t help his shiver, though.

“Deal!” Yixing said and let out an audible sigh, turning to his dragon and stroking her neck again. Baekhyun wondered fleetingly how her scales would feel under his touch but pushed the thought away. 

A voice in the distance broke their silence and Baekhyun recognized it immediately as Jongdae calling his name. 

“You should go,” Yixing nodded towards the voice, a signal to go. Baekhyun met his gaze once more before he turned on his heels and walked through the branches that hid them from view, breaking into a jog once he had gotten through them.

Baekhyun caught sight of Jongdae before he could call for him again, and ran the final distance between them. Jongdae turned and smiled when he saw it was him and laughed when they met, slapping at his arm jokingly.

“What the hell were you doing, Baek? You were in there for a lot longer than we expected. I almost thought the centaurs got you or something,” Jongdae joked, a glint in his eye and Baekhyun scoffed before laughing as well.

They made it to the forest’s edge where the other students were gathered. Everyone cheered when they caught sight of the two boys emerging from the trees. The night had fallen, the moon shining brightly and they all agreed that they should head back up now. The wind was picking up now, blowing their robes around their feet as they trudged up the hill towards the castle. The original group of ten or so people broke into smaller groups to talk as they traveled, and Baekhyun’s two friends were at his side, pestering him.

“So what did you find in there?” Chanyeol asked, an arm around Baekhyun’s shoulder as they entered the castle gates.The wall torches’ heat bathed them in warmth as they started down the corridor. 

Baekhyun just scoffed and waved his hand in dismissal, keeping his promise to Yixing even though his friends wouldn’t drop it. If they could see into his mind, they would be shocked because Baekhyun couldn’t stop thinking about the Hufflepuff, who had always seemed so plain, hiding in the forest with his dragon.

_Don’t think I’m missing this, Yixing. I’ll be there._

\---

Professor Binns floated at the front of the classroom and stared off into the distance, a habit that he had whenever he was in one of his lecturing stupors as he was in that moment. The ghost professor was droning on about the goblin rebellions but per usual, no one in the class was listening, especially not the three Slytherin boys who sat at the end of the row in the very back. 

Baekhyun was trying his hardest to suppress a giggle as Chanyeol waved his wand under his desk, his poorly-drawn cartoon coming to life by his command and walking through a series of mocking scenarios of Professor Binns lecturing. Baekhyun looked past Chanyeol to the next desk and saw Jongdae meet his eyes. His friend was biting his lip to hold back his own smile, but the ends of his already cat-like lips were turned up more than usual, giving him away.

An enchanted paper airplane flew behind Chanyeol’s desk and landed on Baekhyun’s, unfolding itself to reveal a note from Jongdae. 

_Who out of us do you think can enchant a paper airplane around the classroom without Binns noticing?_ , The writing read before it erased itself and the parchment smoothed itself out. It laid flat on the table, looking like any ordinary piece of parchment. It was perfect for Baekhyun to take notes on - not that he was going to, though.

He turned and gave Jongdae a secretive smile before waving his own wand, which he’d pulled out of his bag long before then to help out with Chanyeol’s degrading cartoons. Baekhyun whispered the incantation under his breath as he gave the wand one more wave and the parchment folded itself back into an airplane. Jongdae didn’t hide his giggle then, but a quick look at Binns proved that the professor hadn’t noticed a thing.

Baekhyun remained perfectly still other than the wand in his hand, directing the airplane. The piece of parchment flew off of the desk and hovered against the wall. Baekhyun was watching Binns intently, making sure he only moved the magicked parchment after the professor looked away. The airplane skimmed the wall slowly, reaching the top of the ceiling where Baekhyun held it in order to turn and see his friends’ expressions.

Both of them were sending mischievous glances at the plane, the professor, and Baekhyun. Baekhyun felt their eyes on him as he moved the parchment across the ceiling and brought it slowly down to where Binns was, making it fly back and forth a safe distance above the ghost’s head and slowly drawing the attention of their classmates who had awakened from their own stupors to break into smiles at the parchment.

Baekhyun didn’t even try to hide his smile as he willed the parchment to do various tricks in the air like twists and loops, coming dangerously close to Binns before always jumping back a safe distance to continue the acrobatic acts. The professor remained unchanging, continuing to drone and be completely oblivious.

At least, that’s what Baekhyun had thought.

“Mr. Byun, if you think I don’t know you’ve been flying an airplane made from parchment above my head, you would be sorely mistaken,” Professor Binns stated and Baekhyun almost didn’t catch it because his tone was so unchanging that he might as well have still been reciting facts about the rebellion in Hogsmeade village. 

The room went still and when it finally registered in Baekhyun’s brain that he’d been caught, he was in so much shock that he let go of his hold on the parchment and watched it drop _through_ the ghost professor onto the floor, where it unraveled and laid still, no longer bewitched.

“See me after class,” Binns said shortly, looking at Baekhyun for a long second before he returned his gaze to the spot in the wall he seemed enamored with and continued to drone, as if nothing had happened.

Baekhyun remained still for the remainder of the lecture, trying his hardest to actually pay attention to Binns, but the professor’s monotone made his efforts futile. He instead wished the clock would go faster, but the minutes seemed to take hours until finally the lecture was done. The students all stood at once and the room seemed to come back to life as they chatted and packed their things to leave.

“Good luck,” Chanyeol said, about to laugh when he saw his friend’s face. None of the three of them had ever been caught by Binns before and had no idea what his punishment would be. They had messed around in the other professors’ classes enough to know what to do and what not to do, but Binns was unexplored territory. Baekhyun could only hope that his punishments were as dry as his lectures.

Once the room cleared, he was left alone with the ghost, who still hadn’t moved. He didn’t seem to notice that Baekhyun was there as he stared at the wall some more, silent. Binns finally looked down at Baekhyun with confusion in his gaze.

“What are you doing here?” He asked and then his eyebrows raised in recognition a second after the words left his mouth. “Ah, your punishment. Yes, detention over the weekend. Come to my room when you wake up. Now leave.”

Baekhyun turned and walked away with a spring in his step, astonished that he managed to get away that easily. He had just walked out the door and was already scanning the courtyard for Jongdae and Chanyeol when something light poked him on the side of his head and he turned to see what it was.

He only got to identify it as a paper airplane for a second before it unraveled itself into a normal piece of parchment again with words written in a neat, looping text. Baekhyun glanced down the hallway to where he assumed the enchanter of the parchment would be and he caught only a glimpse of the end of a robe before it disappeared around the corner. 

He debated following the person but stopped himself, turning his gaze down to read the parchment first.

_That was a rather stupid thing to do, if I could say so myself. But you would know that I’m not in the greatest position to say that, aren’t I?_

_Meet me at the edge of the forest tonight. You’ll see that I keep my promises._

_Yixing_

Baekhyun didn’t have any time to react because the text vanished after he’d read the last word and the parchment destroyed itself, ripping into pieces until all that was left were the remains lying on the corridor floor.

\---

Baekhyun laid awake in his bed, staring up at the ceiling as he waited for his friends to go to sleep. His heart thumped in his chest as he waited and he was more than a little nervous for what was to come. The image of the beautiful green dragon played in his head and he almost forgot about the danger that he knew came with the animal.

Finally the soft sound of Jongdae’s even breathing reached his ears and Baekhyun knew it was time. He took a shaky breath as he reached down and moved the blankets over him to the side as silently as he could before sitting up. He scanned his friends’ beds just to make sure they were asleep before he set his feet down on the floor, putting on his slippers and taking tentative steps towards the door of their dorm, careful to avoid the floorboards that he knew creaked.

It was only after he closed the door that he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He looked down the stairwell at the empty Slytherin common room, the dungeon cold and the only sound was the sloshing of the green-tinged water in the Black Lake outside, moving slowly past the large windows.

Baekhyun crossed the room quickly and reached the passage that led out of the dungeon. The wall moved out of the way and Baekhyun was in a corridor of the castle. He quickly glanced to make sure the hallway was clear before he began to rush down the halls, sticking to the wall. Baekhyun knew from previous run-ins after curfew that he’d have to rely on luck to avoid being caught by a teacher patrolling. He snuck down the corridor, keeping his feet quiet as he set a brisk pace towards the entrance to the castle. 

Baekhyun checked each corner with a quick glance both ways before he hurried down them and wished that the Slytherin common room wasn’t so far away, cursing as he knew he was testing his luck. Finally, the grand entrance was visible and he wanted to let out a relieved breath, but he waited, continuing on with the same careful steps that he had used to make the trek across the castle. It wouldn’t do well to be caught right at his escape.

The crisp night air was upon him as Baekhyun took his first step out the door and made a sharp turn to the side, out of sight of anyone that could be patrolling the entrance corridor. He broke into a jog, still trying to keep his feet quiet but with much less care than he had previously, until he reached the edge of the stone front of the castle. Baekhyun finally let out that breath of relief once he could no longer see the castle entrance. From past experience, he knew that no professors patrolled the grounds and he looked down at his feet for a moment, catching his breath and letting the rush of adrenaline that was racing through him subside. It was to no avail though, once his thoughts turned to what was awaiting him in the forest.

Baekhyun only spared one more glance back towards the warm castle before he set off towards the treeline of the Forbidden Forest, which looked much more ominous under the cover of night than of the sunset backdrop from only days before.

His feet stopped him when he was close enough to reach out and touch the bark of the nearest tree. An uncharacteristic spike of fear went through him as he stood in front of the same relative spot that he had entered the forest from the other night. Because of logic, he knew that any possible dangers weren’t this close to the edge of the forest, so he swallowed his fear down and took tentative steps forward, disappearing into the trees.

The sounds of the forest surrounded him almost immediately. The tree leaves rustled in the breeze and crickets chirped loudly as Baekhyun walked forward, keeping his eyes peeled for the slightest chance of danger and staying unnaturally alert with the fear that was still coursing through him. The treetops covered the night sky above and the forest was even darker than the grounds, as no moonlight could break through the leaves above. Baekhyun wondered now why he agreed to this in the first place when the bad feeling in his stomach twisted and evolved and every inch of his being was screaming that he shouldn’t be there.

Even with Baekhyun’s heightened senses, he wasn’t able to detect the footsteps of his fellow Hogwarts student and turned when he was only feet away from the other, a lantern illuminating Yixing’s face against the darkness of the trees. Baekhyun startled and nearly screamed, but stopped himself when he recognized Yixing. Yixing stared at him indifferently and beckoned with a hand gesture for Baekhyun to follow him before he turned around and began to walk away, his lantern held up and illuminating the forest ground below.

Baekhyun didn’t have to be told twice and scurried after the older student, keeping so close to his heels that the other’s Hogwarts robes brushed his legs in the breeze. Baekhyun felt even less protected in his sleepwear when he saw how Yixing was dressed and shivered, wanting to press even closer to him for warmth.

They had continued to walk in the forest silently for only a few more minutes before Yixing stopped in front of the same giant leaves that hid the clearing from view a couple of days ago. Baekhyun recognized it and a familiar rush of adrenaline went through him since he knew what was hiding behind the leaves. Yixing turned and raised his eyebrows in question and Baekhyun met his eyes with his own and gave him a slight nod, inhaling shakily as Yixing pushed the leaves back.

Baekhyun followed him in and was once again met with the beautiful beast that he had stumbled upon only days prior. The dragon looked him in the eye lazily and held his gaze for a few seconds before putting her head down and closing her eyes, no longer paying Baekhyun any mind, even though he was shaken. Looking into the beast’s eye was an experience like no other - he had the feeling that its eyes held secrets and if he looked for too long he would be driven mad by it.

Baekhyun had to take a moment, only realizing after that the dragon had quite literally taken his breath away. Baekhyun could sense Yixing watching him with careful eyes, but he wasn’t paying attention as he took a few tentative steps towards her. The dragon opened her eyes once again and he wondered if she had either much better hearing than he, or if she could just sense him in the air, as he had made his steps as quiet as possible. She watched him but made no other move, so he assumed that it would be alright to walk closer.

Soon enough he was only an arm’s length away. Baekhyun took one more breath to steady himself before slowly reaching his hand towards her, making sure that she could watch his movements. He was waiting, expecting her to growl to signal him to stop but she didn’t, her eye on his outstretched hand.

Baekhyun’s hand finally touched her scales and he sucked a breath in. They were cool to the touch and surprisingly smooth. He made sure not to put any pressure into his touch as he caressed her neck once, feeling the surprisingly sharp tips of her scales glide under his skin - he was immediately thankful he had the good sense to brush the way that her scales went, as he definitely would have cut his skin open if he had rubbed her the opposite way. The dragon raised her head only slightly and Baekhyun could quite literally feel the way her muscles rippled under his touch and was in awe of the power of the beast in front of him.

 _Hello Baekhyun_ , a voice spoke loud and clear in his mind and he froze, fear numbing him all over as he realized the voice was _in his head_. The idea of something breaking his mental barriers and being inside him shook him to his core and again, he couldn’t breathe. The voice was unmistakably female and was rich and deep, with the air of wisdom in it. It took him a beat to realize that there was only one thing the voice could have come from.

“Speak in your mind and she will hear you,” Yixing said and Baekhyun stared at him with wide eyes. _How does he know she talked to me?_

 _We are connected through our minds. I spoke to both of you_ , the dragon spoke in Baekhyun’s head and it was with a chill down his spine that he realized she was _answering his thoughts_. He turned to look at her again, and in her eyes was almost a hint of amusement at Baekhyun’s confusion. He grew very flustered all of a sudden and adjusted his stance, rubbing his hands together when it struck him just how cold the wind was and he was still in his nightclothes.

 _How do you know my name?_ , Baekhyun tried, not knowing at all how the mind communication worked other than calling thoughts in his own head. A million questions about this situation were already swirling and it struck him that the dragon could probably hear all of them, even though he didn’t even know something as basic about her like her name.

 _My name is Lorena_ , the dragon said and huffed, blinking at Baekhyun. 

“How is this even possible? I didn’t know dragons were intelligent,” Baekhyun says, voicing it out loud so Yixing can hear, though now that he thought of it, he didn’t know if Yixing could hear his thoughts as well through Lorena.

“They are quite intelligent, and wise beyond their years,” Yixing responded, watching Lorena fondly. “Most of them don’t particularly like humans, but she hatched in front of me and has trusted me to care for her.”

Baekhyun was slowly relaxing as he realized that the intelligent dragon wasn’t going to attack him senselessly, but he remained on guard, knowing that he should still show the creature respect. A silence fell over them and Baekhyun could sense that the two were still wary of their visitor.

“Listen,” Yixing said and his voice dropped, commanding attention. Baekhyun turned to watch the Hufflepuff who was looking at him with a questioning glance. “I know you must have millions of questions-”

 _Oh, he does_ , Lorena stated and Yixing broke into a smile. Baekhyun shivered, still not used to thoughts that were not his own in his head.

“But Lorena’s decided she can grant you one favor if you want it in exchange for secrecy about us and the answers to your questions.”

He didn’t give Baekhyun a chance to answer before the dragon stood up and unfurled her wings before lowering them, creating a perfect platform for someone to climb up and _oh_. Baekhyun wasn’t sure if what he was picturing was correct and he turned to Yixing. The older student just nodded, a hint of an amused smile on his face.

Baekhyun walked up to Lorena, who eyed him as he moved closer to her. He was just about to grab one of the spikes on her neck to steady himself in preparation when Yixing stopped him abruptly by clearing his throat on purpose. Baekhyun turned to look back at him.

“I’ve forgotten. You might have noticed she’s sharp,” Yixing smiled and pulled his gloves off before handing them to Baekhyun. 

Baekhyun put them on, feeling the leathery texture rub against his skin, still warm from Yixing’s hands. While he did so, Yixing had placed a quilt on Lorena’s back to protect his legs from being scratched by her scales. Baekhyun nodded at him and Yixing took a step back, his lip pulled between his teeth almost nervously. Baekhyun couldn’t blame him when his nerves were running the same way.

Baekhyun took a short breath before reaching up and grabbing the spike he had eyed earlier. He placed his foot on the dragon’s leg where the bend in her massive knee had made a proper ledge and pushed on it quickly, hoisting himself up and trying to get his weight over the dragon’s body without hurting her, but she stared into the forest indifferently as Baekhyun got settled.

Feeling her move under his hand when he touched her was very different from how Baekhyun felt right now, ready to fall off as he clung onto the same spike as her entire body shifted to stand up, moving him with it. He ducked so he didn’t hit the trees as she stretched, her wings elongating to their full span on either side of Baekhyun and adrenaline raced through his system.

 _Hold on_ , Lorena’s voice echoed in his mind, in a mocking lilt, and not a second later Baekhyun felt her body launch forward under him and he nearly yelled.

They were flying through the trees in mere seconds and Baekhyun closed his eyes as stray branches slapped his skin. Then they broke the treetops and all he felt was open air and the wind whipping at him but he didn’t dare look, keeping his eyes shut tight in terror. He could feel Lorena’s massive wings pushing the air down with a tremendous force beside him as they rose, a steady beat of the wind whooshing accompanying the action. The air grew steadily colder as they ascended and he shivered.

The beating of her wings rocked Baekhyun back in his seat and made his knuckles turn white with the firmness of the grip he had on the spike he clung to for dear life. He was just about to panic with the feeling of falling when the air evened and the flight was no longer bumpy. The dragon was gliding steadily now, but Baekhyun kept his eyes squeezed shut for fear of seeing how far the world was below him.

 _Open your eyes, little one_ , Lorena soothed and her voice was comforting so Baekhyun obeyed, the air making his eyes water as he blinked rapidly to clear his vision.

Once his eyes adjusted, Baekhyun broke into a smile at what he saw. They were as high as the lowest hanging clouds, close enough to fly in them, and he looked up and laughed at the brilliance of the stars twinkling above him. They flew through one of the clouds and Baekhyun came out the other side slightly damp, the solidified water having stuck to his clothes. He forgot his fears and looked down as Lorena moved in a slow circle in the clouds, gliding with the wind.

They were high enough that the clouds gave them decent cover but they couldn’t hide the breathtaking view of Hogwarts, and Baekhyun had never felt more like he had been plucked from his time and dropped in the medieval ages. The stone castle loomed in the darkness, only illuminated from lanterns placed by glass windows and the silence only broken by the wind, the details lending to the proud aura the castle had. The grounds and lake looked minuscule compared to the surrounding forest, the trees extended as far as the eye could see, and the outlines of mountains were visible in the far distance. 

Baekhyun left all logic behind for that moment and let go of the spike he had been clinging to, his hands outstretched as he reached for the clouds and laughed. He felt an incredible happiness surge through him as he realized very few people had ever seen the castle in this perspective and he felt it was perfect, like he should hide and tuck the beautiful memory away as long as he could for himself.

They flew above the clouds until Baekhyun lost track of time, enjoying the view and the calm night atmosphere. Lorena remained in his mind as he could feel her thoughts faintly, but she directed none of that at him. The relative quiet between them was comforting and he rubbed her, wishing more than a few times that he could remove the tough gloves and feel her scales against his skin again. 

After circling once more, Lorena turned her head to look at Baekhyun once before tucking her wings in her back and making a shallow nose dive to lose altitude. Baekhyun hung on again and kept his eyes open on the way down, trying to take in as much as he could before the exhilarating ride ended. Lorena made her way swiftly and they broke the trees to land in the same clearing as before.

Yixing was laughing out loud as Baekhyun slid off of the dragon and his legs gave way, the unsteady rocking of riding and the light weighted feeling in his heart confusing him as his feet touched the ground again.

“You’ve done that?” Baekhyun asked him incredulously as Yixing held a hand out and pulled him to his feet, ready to catch him again when Baekhyun swayed dangerously, still trying to right himself. 

“Of course. I was as wobbly as you the first time too,” Yixing said and when Baekhyun turned to look at him, the Hufflepuff had a twinkle in his eyes and a smile that was contagious.

“I understand,” Baekhyun told him and he did. The flight had only just happened but he could feel the effect it would have on him taking place already and he looked back at Lorena with a newfound fondness. He couldn’t believe he had been scared of her. Yixing let go of Baekhyun, who could stand without trouble now. 

“I knew you would,” Yixing said, his voice dropping as if sharing a secret but with the same fondness in his tone as Baekhyun felt. The Slytherin turned to meet his eyes and they shared a secret smile. A comfortable silence fell over them as Lorena huffed, settling herself back on the ground, content with the exertion. 

“I have to get back now,” Baekhyun whispered when he noticed that the sky above them had become a lighter shade than the deep night from when he had left. Jongdae and Chanyeol would wake up soon, and Baekhyun was shocked that he had stayed out for so long. However, his heart fell at not being able to spend more time with the dragon, turning to look at her once more. Her head lay on the ground to rest but her eyes were open while she spoke.

_Goodnight, little one._

Baekhyun smiled at her and she closed her eyes once more to take a nap. Yixing moved to pick up his forgotten lantern from the ground, turning to look at Baekhyun for confirmation one more time before heading to the leaves that covered the clearing. 

The walk back felt much quicker than the walk in, with Baekhyun’s fear gone and his heart light. He was certain that whatever danger still lurked in the forest, Lorena would be able to protect them both from where she was only a short distance away. They were at the treeline when Yixing stopped and turned to the younger boy with a strange look in his eye. Baekhyun waited a good minute for him to say something, as it was painted on his features that he wanted to, but it never came. Yixing cleared his throat and looked down at the forest floor and lowered the lantern. It was no longer necessary with the bright moonlight illuminating the grounds.

“You’ll invite me back?” Baekhyun asked and Yixing looked at him with a smile. It gave Baekhyun enough answer that relief flooded him and he gave Yixing one more nod before he waved awkwardly. 

With another look at the sky he could tell the first rays of sunlight would break through the clouds soon, signaling to him that he didn’t have much time left. The knowledge, however, didn’t stop him from wanting to stay in the forest, alone with his new mysterious friend and his dragon. But he knew he had to leave and ran out onto the grounds towards the castle wall, trying to focus his thoughts on the dangerous walk through the abandoned corridors ahead of him, but all he could think of was Lorena back in the clearing.

Baekhyun allowed himself one last glance to the treeline before he headed in through the giant castle entrance, but Yixing was already out of sight.

\---

Over the course of the next few months, he knew that his friends were watching him curiously when they noticed that Baekhyun was acting differently. It was difficult to not notice when he said he was going to the library to read, which he never did, or when he fell asleep during History of Magic after having flown with Yixing and Lorena farther into the forest and off of school grounds the night before under the sunrise, a feat that even though he was certainly not the most studious wizard, he had never accomplished before. The dragon was large enough now that she could carry both boys, and their flights together were always to be looked forward to.

“What books do you keep checking out, Baek?” Jongdae teased, reaching for Baekhyun’s bag as they walked back down to the Slytherin dungeon. He whined when Baekhyun closed the flap of his bag, successfully hiding the textbook-sized books he was hiding on _Dragons in the Wild - the Secrets Unknown to Wizardkind_ and _A Detailed Guide to Owning a Dragon_.

Baekhyun’s new favorite time was when Chanyeol and Jongdae were sleeping - the only time they weren’t bothering him. This was when he could sneak off under the cover of moonlight to the forest and be with the Hufflepuff boy and his dragon.

It was true that Baekhyun hadn’t really paid much attention to Yixing before he had discovered the two on that fateful night - he had only seen him talking with some of the other Hufflepuffs in his year a couple of times. He had only taken notice of him when the boy would answer questions in class, much to the professors’ delight. Baekhyun knew that Yixing was quiet for the most part, buried in books. It was only recently, though, that he discovered what those books were about.

Most visits Baekhyun would go on a flight with Yixing joining too, and they would leave the prying eyes at Hogwarts to venture farther into the forest on Lorena’s back, pressed against each other for warmth in the cold clouds. They’d exchange conversations to the steady beat of her wings as she made slow circles over the castle, and Baekhyun found the dragon to be incredibly knowledgeable, a trait that must have come from the wisdom of her race and not the actual age that she was - Yixing had revealed that she was only born months prior, having grown in both size and mind unbelievably. 

Some visits, however, they would just stay in the forest, taking a walk or laying against Lorena as they talked. Baekhyun and Yixing’s walks always revealed to him more of the forest that he was growing steadily less afraid of. Lorena’s stories of creatures that would pass her by while they were gone like the giant acromantulas and curious centaurs always put him in place when he acted too incautious however. 

Yixing was strange in a way that Baekhyun’s friends weren’t - he wasn’t witty like them, not at all. In fact, though he communicated well, which was a characteristic of his being a good student, he still struggled to say the right things at times, which usually resulted in laughs because of miscommunications. Still, the older Hufflepuff was also a fountain of knowledge about not only dragons, but magical creatures in general, and the forest was an incredible source of them. He told stories of how he had ventured into the Forbidden Forest before with the intention of meeting the creatures they were supposed to be scared of. Yixing’s eyes would be filled with passion when he talked about them and more, like how amazing it was in the way that a boggart could discover a person’s worst fear or how the hierarchy in a mermaid community worked. Baekhyun didn’t know why but he could tell that Yixing would only ever say these things under the cover of these trees and he kept uncharacteristically silent, letting Yixing’s excited voice wash over him, lost in how happy it made his newfound friend.

Tonight was one of those nights and Baekhyun had his eyes closed as Yixing spoke of new knowledge he had gained of hippogriffs from a book he had finished reading. Baekhyun was leaning against Lorena, his body shifting every time her body moved with her breath. The two boys sat close together, their legs pressed against each other and Baekhyun knew that Yixing was gesturing excitedly in the night air as he spoke with rises and falls in his voice even though he had his eyes closed and couldn’t see it for himself.

But Yixing quieted down, and the pressure against Baekhyun’s leg lifted, meaning he had moved. Baekhyun opened his eyes and was met with Yixing’s gaze, closer than he had anticipated and he sucked a breath in. He relaxed when Yixing took his hand and pulled him up to his knees, standing up with him.

“Why don’t we take a walk?” The Hufflepuff asked and Baekhyun smiled, agreeing. He followed Yixing as they stepped around Lorena to head deeper into the forest, the dragon opening her eyes and watching them briefly before resting again.

Yixing’s hand was still in Baekhyun’s as he pulled him gently further into the forest. Baekhyun’s initial fear of the forest had gone down, pushed away by an increasing number of walks without incident and by the knowledge that Lorena was always only a call away to protect them. He felt almost intimately knowledgeable of the trees and what they held now, the forest sounds and the early morning mist that clouded his eyesight almost a comfort.

It was the early hours of the morning then but both boys were wide awake as they stepped quietly, fingers interlaced for comfort and observed their surroundings. Baekhyun knew Yixing knew where he was going and let him lead him with ease, trusting him. Honestly, it was much more of a trust than he should have for someone he had only recently become close to, but he couldn’t help it. Baekhyun had had to have trust in Yixing from the moment they met that first night and it was only more so when it ran the opposite way. It was impossible not to trust each other when such a giant secret kept them together.

But Baekhyun didn’t have much more time to be lost in his thoughts as Yixing suddenly sucked in a breath and dropped down into a crouch, squeezing Baekhyun’s hand and pulling him down too. The Slytherin struggled to not land on his knees to avoid the sound of crunching leaves on the forest floor that would reach the ears of anything near if he did so. Yixing squeezed his hand once more to get his attention and Baekhyun turned in the direction that Yixing’s eyes were trained on.

He couldn’t help but suck in a breath when he saw it too.

In front of them only feet away was a unicorn, a sight that Baekhyun had only seen in books before. He decided then that the pictures in those books didn’t do the breathtaking animal justice as he was entranced by it. He watched the unicorn, mesmerized by the beautifully muscled creature whose coat was so silvery it almost shimmered. But when another came into view, he gasped. The second unicorn was much smaller than the first, and its coat was a bright gold color, its horn was smaller on its head, and its tail was a small golden poofed-up thing that it swished back and forth excitedly. The foal pranced happily, the perfect picture of innocence and the other unicorn grazed as the younger circled her.

“Try not to let them see you,” Yixing whispered, his voice barely audible to not draw attention. Baekhyun registered then that the older boy had moved in closer to him and their heads were almost touching. “Unicorns are wary, and prefer girls if they even approach a human.”

Baekhyun nodded at Yixing’s words but couldn’t help himself as he slowly lifted his foot and placed it one step in front, trying very hard not to let the floor make any noise under his shoe. He moved forward carefully that way, the branches on the ground and low-hanging mist hiding him.  
He was not careful enough, however. An invisible twig snapped under his shoe and Baekhyun’s eyes widened as he froze.

The unicorn who had to be the mother immediately snapped her head up and looked around. Her body, other than her scanning eyes, froze and she snorted, but the foal who didn’t seem worried at all about the sound, began to prance towards Baekhyun to investigate.

Baekhyun began to panic and he wished that he could see Yixing. It was to no avail, though; he knew that the other boy was still hiding and wouldn’t dare make a move. Baekhyun just shut his eyes and prayed the foal wouldn’t find him. He couldn’t imagine what the older unicorn would do if she saw him as a threat and attempted to protect her baby and was not curious at all to find out.

He felt a hot puff of breath in his face at once and Baekhyun opened his eyes, finding himself face to face with the little golden unicorn who gave a short whinny at him. Not knowing what to do, Baekhyun turned towards the tree that Yixing was behind and saw him with a bright smile on his face. 

“She likes you,” he mouthed and Baekhyun let out a short breath of relief, though he was still worried about the much larger and much more threatening silver unicorn who would be right behind, coming to check on her foal.

The little one began to prance the same way that she had been earlier, having no fear of Baekhyun and her mother appeared from the mist, eyeing Baekhyun once and huffing. Not liking the fact that his head was in perfect range to be kicked if she chose to, Baekhyun stood up slowly, trying to look as nonthreatening as he could. The silver unicorn only kept her eye on him and nickered before turning around and walking back through the mist, her little foal following her.

Baekhyun released a breath he didn’t know he was holding when the two were out of sight and held a hand to his heart, feeling it beat quickly in his chest. He was only given a moment’s peace before Yixing ran out from his hiding place and attacked him with a hug before jumping excitedly.

“I’ve never even heard of that, let alone expected to see it! I completely expected you to frighten her, but she ran right up to you and wanted to play!” Yixing spoke excitedly and Baekhyun couldn’t help but laugh at the Hufflepuff’s enthusiasm.

“I didn’t even think unicorns were in this forest! They’re truly beautiful, aren’t they, with the way they absolutely glowed, there’s no doubt they were magical-”

“Yixing,” Baekhyun whined, grabbing at his hand and stopping him mid-ramble. Yixing looked at him, his eyes still bright with his excitement.

“As exciting as that was, I’m actually really tired,” Baekhyun whispered and it was true - his body had seemed to have decided one scare of near-death proportions was enough for one night and his eyelids had gotten very heavy.

Yixing mouthed an “oh” of realization and intertwined his fingers with Baekhyun’s own once more, rubbing his thumb on his skin soothingly as he flashed him a more relaxed smile. Baekhyun sighed contentedly and closed his eyes, letting the sounds of the forest calm him for a moment before he opened his eyes again, meeting the other boy’s own and nodding in the direction they had come.

“Let’s go back then,” Yixing said and Baekhyun was grateful as he followed him back.

“Baekhyun,” Yixing called after only a few minutes of walking. The younger boy made a quiet sound in response and Yixing began to speak again.

“Are you going to Hogsmeade the weekend after next? I think I have something to show you,” And Baekhyun didn’t miss the fact that Yixing’s voice had gained a slight tremor of nervousness, making the younger slightly more wary.

“I don’t like surprises,” he whined, hoping to get a less vague response but Yixing only let out a laugh.

“You’ll like this one. At least, I hope you will,” Yixing said, making Baekhyun’s guesses at whatever the surprise could be even less valid and he decided not to question him further, only replying with a nod.

That night after traversing the trail in the forest and the corridors of the castle, Baekhyun collapsed on his bed again and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, his dreams overtaken with the image of a little golden unicorn, whinnying as it frolicked.

\---

It was the first day that year that Baekhyun woke up to snow covering the grounds outside the castle windows and he was grinning, excited as he leaped to get ready to go outside, dragging his sluggish friends from their beds along with him.

It was the morning of the Hogsmeade visit that he had been waiting for ever since he and Yixing had seen the unicorn foal and her mother. They had an unspoken agreement to not meet up again until the aforementioned date, and now that it was the morning of, his heart was beating with anticipation.

"What has got your panties in a twist, Mr. Byun?" Chanyeol asked with a cheeky smile on his face before Baekhyun smacked him with an unappreciative scoff. Thanks to Baekhyun’s hurriedness, he had dragged Jongdae and Chanyeol down for breakfast far earlier than they normally arrived. The Great Hall was much more barren than he had ever seen it, but he paid little mind as he walked on autopilot to the section of the long benches where the Slytherin sixth years and fellow stragglers would typically sit down for meals together.

The breakfast feast was not set out yet, but thanks to the magicked plates and silverware, assorted pastries, fruits, and breakfast meats appeared as he sat down and Baekhyun reached for a combination of the food, placing it on his plate messily and wasting no time in beginning to stuff it into his mouth.

"Whoa, what are you actually in a hurry for? We have all day in Hogsmeade, you know this," Chanyeol reiterated his ignored question, but Baekhyun just shook his head, unable to speak as his mouth was full and he was chewing quickly.

"Don't choke and die," Jongdae replied in a monotone, still half-asleep. Baekhyun only barely saw Chanyeol scold the other boy with a playful nudge, to which Jongdae whined and tugged on his ear as revenge.

"I just want to get there before the Zonko's and Wizard Wheezes’ rush once the other students arrive," Baekhyun finally responded once he had swallowed a sufficient amount of food for speaking. Both Chanyeol and Jongdae turned and gave him an unconvinced look at his response.

"What's wrong with that?" Baekhyun asked, trying to act nonchalant. Though, frankly he was awful at it - if his friends didn't suspect he had a large secret hidden away by now, then they were most definitely fools. But it didn't seem to bother them immensely in that moment as Chanyeol caught a glance of someone behind him and he smiled as he waved them over.

It was the pretty Slytherin girl, Jieqiong, who had only started at Hogwarts that year. She had been home schooled by tutors, as both of her parents were important people in the Ministry of Magic and hadn't trusted the magic academies very much. She spoke English, Korean, and Mandarin perfectly, and wasn't scared to use it with the other students who spoke any of the two foreign ones. Chanyeol found the way her tongue wrapped around the foreign words captivating. Baekhyun had gathered more than he would have cared for about her from Chanyeol's ramblings, as his infatuation made her an accepted member of their social circle now; she wouldn't have needed the help, though. Her intelligence and beauty would have made her plenty popular otherwise.

"Hi, Baekhyun," she greeted, flashing her typical blinding smile at him as she leaned over Jongdae and his plate to grab one of the croissants with the flakiest covering off of his plate and taking a large chunk of it into her mouth with a mischievous smile.

Baekhyun whined at her but otherwise ignored it as she was caught into a conversation with Chanyeol, who had turned on his full charm for the occasion. More people slowly trickled in, the noise level in the room slowly rising as they found their peers and began eating at a much more relaxed pace than Baekhyun had been. It was his cue to be finished and he wiped his mouth with his napkin, ignoring the ache he now had in his stomach from eating too much too quickly - he figured he could wash down his rushed breakfast with some butterbeer later.

"Alright I'm leaving, with or without you," Baekhyun called as he stood up, giving Jongdae and Chanyeol a glance that only the former noticed. Jongdae stood up and waved a hasty goodbye to who he’d been talking to: two second years who were interested in the all important business of what the older students were doing. He joined Baekhyun where he was standing impatiently.

"I'll follow you out, but we need to stop by the dorm to get our cloaks," Jongdae began to ramble but Baekhyun was already ahead of him, holding out the clothing garments in his arm. Baekhyun cracked a small smile when Jongdae whistled, impressed, beside him.

"But honestly, what are you so excited for? I haven't seen you like this since Kang Seulgi invited you to the Yule Ball two years ago," Jongdae commented, mentioning the incident from when the Tri-Wizard Tournament had fallen during their fourth year and Baekhyun had scored a date with one of the more popular girls in the year above them.

"Shut up, Dae," Baekhyun said, purposefully dodging the question as he flicked the side of his friend's head to distract him. It didn't work though as Jongdae nudged him, expecting an answer. This was the reason he hated his friends - they knew him too well to let him play his usual tricks on them.

"If you must know, I have someone to meet, but it is _not_ a date," Baekhyun said, a smile lingering and he ignored the increased beating of his heart as he said the word "date". Jongdae whistled again, this time much more obnoxiously.

The two boys walked out the front doors that Baekhyun snuck out of during the nights and turned down the paved path that had been cleared of snow, the trees ahead of them in the distance looking like a black mass instead of their pined selves.

"Hey, Baek," Jongdae said and turned to him with the glint in his eye that was always playing behind his features and never meant anything good.

"What?" Baekhyun asked and he really should have expected it when the other boy kicked the back of his knee and took off down the road, cackling as he left Baekhyun in a crouch from where he had ended up regaining his balance after his knee gave out because of the blow.

It was the first time the anticipation of the day had fully escaped him and he broke into a wide smile as he stood up and sprinted after Jongdae, the other yelling like a young schoolgirl as they raced each other on the empty path. Behind them, the sun was completing its daily rise on the other end of the horizon and painted everything it touched in a warm morning light, including the two sixteen year olds in jade green winter robes, fun taking over their usually stressed student selves as they disappeared into the trees on their way to the wizard village.

\---

Hogsmeade village was no less beautiful covered in snow, but Baekhyun had never seen it as it was now, when it was quiet and almost peaceful. He realized it must be reminiscent of how the village was when the students from the nearby wizarding school didn't take it over and he found that he actually quite liked it - something the Baekhyun before he met Lorena and Yixing would not have appreciated.

However, Jongdae was unlike his usual joking self as well, seeming to be content with simply walking besides Baekhyun in the streets, not speaking more than a few words to the villagers they recognized or commenting on the village's state now compared to when they had seen it before. It was a subdued version of his friend that Baekhyun wasn't familiar with and he didn't know whether to be happy to know more about him or a little upset that in the six years of knowing him he hadn't found it already.

Jongdae reached for Baekhyun's hand and pulled him away from the cobblestone sidewalk and into the Three Broomsticks tavern. The other's hand was unexpectedly warm in his and it reminded him so much of Yixing's hand in his own that he hastily let it go once they had entered, trying to avoid the other boy feeling how Baekhyun's heart was beating against his skin.

The tavern was dark with only the dimly lit lanterns providing light over certain tables. It was a stark contrast from the view outside the few windows, of snow-covered ground and the morning sun breaking through the grey clouds. The two boys sat down at one of the round wooden tables.

"Already here, boys? And without the rest of you?" Madam Rosmerta called as she entered the space behind the counter from one of the boys leading to the area of the tavern that was blocked to visitors. She was an older witch, but she was still in good shape and had a biting tone that on anyone else would have seemed annoyed. However, on the barmaid, it was unlike her personality, which was warm and shone through whenever she would ask her customers about their day or gossip with them as she served them.

"Two butterbeers here, please," Jongdae said, dodging the question as he flashed her a nonchalant smile. The barmaid huffed as she threw down the dirty cloth she had draped across her shoulder onto the counter and reached down to begin making their drinks with the supplies she had.

"So who is this mystery person you have to meet?" Jongdae asked Baekhyun and the latter huffed, not unlike the way Madam Rosmerta had only seconds ago. His friend only laughed shortly, his grin barely suppressed as he bit his front lip and waited expectantly.

Baekhyun honestly didn't know how to answer Jongdae and stayed silent as their drinks were set on the table and they both muttered a thanks, taking their first sips.

"It's hard to explain," Baekhyun started but he couldn't figure out how to continue the sentence without revealing anything. Lorena was at the forefront of his mind and he knew that she had to stay hidden, to even Jongdae and Chanyeol, no matter how many times Baekhyun had to catch himself before he revealed a tidbit of information from his forbidden nights outside on the grounds.

Jongdae only stared at him strangely and Baekhyun met his eyes, pleading with a look that he doesn't ask more. The Quidditch player opened his mouth once more but caught himself and dropped the questioning.

:Will you at least say when you're leaving?" He asked and Baekhyun realized that he had a point.

"I don't know actually," Baekhyun commented and Jongdae let out a laugh as he smacked his friend upside the head again.

"Sometimes I wonder why I'm even friends with you," Jongdae whined and the two of them broke into giggles as they warmed their hands with their cups of butterbeer.

"It's because you love me," Baekhyun said obnoxiously, giving him an innocent look and batting his eyelashes a couple of time before Jongdae squeezed his eyes shut in mock pain at the sight.

The two friends had a rare time to themselves that lasted for a good chunk of the next hour and Baekhyun found himself thankful because of it. He realized that Jongdae acted very differently when he wasn't surrounded by the rest of their friends, or even Chanyeol, and it was half strange and half intriguing. Baekhyun found himself working hard to memorize the genuine smiles Jongdae sent him, his demeanor much more relaxed than he had ever seen it; Baekhyun decided that part of it had to do with the fact that it was a weekend and partly because the empty tavern was a rather intimate and relaxing space for them.

Slowly, however, the view from the windows began to change as more students in their winter robes began to pass by, and Baekhyun knew that the time must have passed by quickly when he allowed himself a true glance outside and saw that the sidewalks were now packed with the herd of young witches and wizards.

The Three Broomsticks was slowly filling up as well, the place losing its serenity to an extent as the low chatter in the room raised as more customers settled in. It wasn't long before Chanyeol, accompanied with Jieqiong and a Ravenclaw girl by the name of Doyeon walked in as well, coming to occupy the remaining seats at their table. The lively conversation about everything and nothing that Baekhyun was used to from his friends started up. Jongdae stood from his seat and scooted into the one next to Baekhyun to make room, and the top of their table was now crowded with drinks in various states of being finished and the atmosphere was happy.

As Doyeon turned the topic to the recent Care of Magical Creatures class they had had on thestrals, Baekhyun's heart ached as his thoughts turned to Yixing and the happiness the boy would have if he were here.

_"Did you know the carriages from the Hogwarts Express are actually pulled by a creature?" Yixing asked as they lay on the forest floor in opposite directions, so close that their hair was touching. They were alone in their little hidden glade in the forest, Lorena having flown off prior to the talk to stretch her wings._

_"You're lying, they're magicked. Everyone knows that," Baekhyun had retorted, interrupting the conversation to point up at the outline of the constellation of stars he had just noticed through the treetops._

_"No, I'm not," Yixing insisted and he rolled over onto his stomach, looking down at Baekhyun with a funny smile on his face._

_"They're called thestrals," He explained as his fingers began to play with the strands of Baekhyun's hair that had been sprawled on the dirt. "They look a lot like a pegasus, but they're completely dark and are so bony, they look like a skeleton. But a person can only see them if they've witnessed death."_

_Baekhyun had shivered at the thought and Yixing had massaged his scalp gently, as if in comfort, before continuing to pull the twigs and leaf bits out of his hair that had gotten stuck there while they were lying down._

_"You're telling me that not only do you have to deal with the trauma of witnessing someone actually die, but you have to see animals that look like a demented pegasus? And they pull our school carriages too?" Baekhyun clarified and Yixing laughed. Baekhyun realized then that his laugh was actually a very pretty sound as it rang loud in their hiding spot, a much higher volume than their mostly hushed talking was. His smile also was contagious, the pretty way his eyes disappeared when he laughed making Baekhyun smile too._

_"When you put it that way, it seems strange, yes," Yixing agreed, humming contentedly for a moment. "But they seem like they would be misinterpreted creatures. Death isn't evil, you know. I hope one day in the far future I can see one for myself."_

_When Baekhyun had left that night, he had thought about what Yixing had said for a long time. Maybe death wasn't evil, but Baekhyun certainly wasn't ready for that, the ability to see a thestral included or not._

Baekhyun smiled to himself as he remembered the memory fondly. He felt fingers tap on his thighs and he looked over at Jongdae.

"What are you thinking about?" Jongdae lowered his voice so that only the other could hear, leaning in closer to Baekhyun than he did most times they were with the others. Baekhyun just shook his head and smiled, looking away because his friend wouldn't understand.

It was when Baekhyun looked up to join the conversation again that he looked out the window and couldn't help it when his small smile grew into a grin - Yixing was standing out the window, looking in and with his eyes already on Baekhyun. The older boy's expression brightened when he saw the Slytherin notice him and quickly made a gesture for him to come out.

Baekhyun tried his hardest to stay relatively calm to not raise suspicion as he announced to his friends that he was going out to Honeyduke's, coming up on the spot with an excuse of getting early Christmas presents, which was met with cheers. He waved one last goodbye before he got up and walked as calmly as he could to the door, pushing it open and being greeted with the winter chill hitting his exposed skin.

"Where to?" He asked the older Hufflepuff boy who was already smiling when Baekhyun spoke to him. Baekhyun couldn't deny that his friend looked adorable with the way that his cheeks were flushed red from the cold and he rubbed his gloved hands together, seeking more warmth than what the cloth gave him.

"Follow me," Yixing said and grabbed his hand, pulling him down the path until they reached the end of it. He led him onto the snowy trail into the surrounding trees, passing the fence and disappearing out of view of the town.

\---

Jongdae had never known when to mind his business.

So when Baekhyun had practically run out of the Three Broomsticks, he had known that this was to meet the secret person that Baekhyun couldn't tell him anything about. He just knew that whoever it was had changed his friend slowly over the past few months - he was still the same Baekhyun, but he was suddenly more thoughtful and interested in things that Jongdae would have never deemed him the type for. He had brushed it off but his curiosity now got the better of him - Jongdae needed to find out who it was.

So he tapped Chanyeol's thigh repeatedly, knowing that the tall boy would know he had something to tell him. Chanyeol's eyes only briefly crossed his gaze but it was enough. Jongdae peeked at the door and back to Chanyeol, knowing with the way that the taller shifted in his seat that he had gotten the message in the few seconds it had taken to deliver it without the girls suspecting anything.

"Alright ladies, me and Jongdae need to go find Baekhyun and bug him about his so called 'presents,” Chanyeol joked, flashing his charming smile at them and making them giggle. The two boys stood up and walked out, Chanyeol opening the door for Jongdae only so he could wink at the sixth year girls one last time. The latter wanted to roll his eyes at how hard Chanyeol was trying to flirt.

"What's up, Dae?" Chanyeol asked and Jongdae actually _did_ roll his eyes this time as he pointed at something behind Chanyeol.

Chanyeol turned around and saw what it was that Jongdae had wanted to point out, making a noise of surprise before turning back to Jongdae - the sight was of Baekhyun, the sleeves of his winter cloak rolled up like he always had them, giving away his identity even from a distance. But he wasn't alone, instead he was being led by someone neither recognized, though it was obviously a student and by the color of their scarf, was a Hufflepuff.

Chanyeol and Jongdae only had to look each other once in the eye before it was obvious they were thinking the same thing.

They began to walk with a quick pace down the cobblestone path, dodging the crowd with their eyes on their targets.

\---

"Will you tell me now what the surprise is?" Baekhyun whined, his smile more genuine than it had been the whole time he had been in the coffee shop with his friends. Yixing let out a chuckle that sent Baekhyun's heart racing.

"Not yet, let us get farther into the forest. I don't want anyone to see," Yixing said and turned around, meeting Baekhyun's eye and raising his eyebrows once in a teasing manner. 

Baekhyun, though he was anticipating the surprise, didn't miss how Yixing’s grin faded when he turned and scanned their surroundings. He realized that being quiet was very important - whatever Yixing was hiding for him would spell trouble if they were caught.

"Fair enough," Baekhyun said and let Yixing drag him farther into the trees until the noise of Hogsmeade behind them faded completely.

"Will you walk faster?"

"It's not my fault fate decided to bless you with giant limbs and I'm practically a dwarf."

"That's offensive to dwarves."

"Hey, will you pay attention to the task at hand, jackass?"

Jongdae and Chanyeol bickered as they broke from the path and began jogging once they were under the cover of trees. They were too far to see more than the fuzzy outlines of Baekhyun and his companion, and they were walking double time, keeping their steps silent as they worked to catch up to them.

"What do you think they're going for?" Chanyeol asked as they rested for a split second behind nearby trees, both of them panting from the exertion.

"I don't know," Jongdae said in between breaths. "But if they have to go this deep into the forest, I can't imagine it being anything within school rules."

The two of them shared one more glance and there was a silent mutual agreement before they hit the ground running again, determined to see what their friend and his mysterious companion were up to.

\---

Finally, Yixing slowed their pace to a brisk walk. Though they were surrounded by different trees, Baekhyun felt like it was the early morning hours and it was just the two of them again, feeling at ease in the silence. After only a few more seconds of content quiet, Yixing spoke.

"I expect you remember what hippogriffs are," Yixing said and Baekhyun almost froze in shock. _Of course_ he did, they had studied hippogriffs only a month ago in their Care of Magical Creatures class. But it had taken Baekhyun zero time to read between the nonchalant statement and he was shocked.

"You didn't-"

"I did," Yixing said with a smile and Baekhyun's jaw almost dropped. His grip tightened on Yixing's hand and the older boy gave him a reassuring squeeze. They only walked forward for a bit longer before they stopped and Baekhyun caught sight of it.

The animal was larger in real life than he had suspected of the pictures they had seen and Baekhyun was in awe. Its coat was a gorgeous ashy grey color, and it transitioned smoothly from feathers to fur. The beast looked up and caught sight of the two humans, snorting and pawing at the ground.

"You remember hippogriffs are respectful, right?" Yixing said and Baekhyun nodded, keeping his eyes trained on the animal, remembering something in the back of his mind about keeping eye contact with them.

To his shock, Yixing stepped away from Baekhyun and the younger couldn't help but hiss in warning. The Hufflepuff just pushed his hand away and stepped cautiously towards the half-eagle half-horse hybrid, as the animal looked like it was beginning to challenge him, the snorts from its nostrils getting steadily more aggressive and ruffling its wings. Yixing bowed deeply once and waited, not breaking eye contact with the beast as the tension in the air became unbearable.

Baekhyun couldn't deal with the anxiety building in him and closed his eyes, listening carefully and staying calm only because of the fact that there were no bloodcurdling screams from Yixing being trampled by the animal.

Finally Yixing let out a relieved laugh and Baekhyun dared to look again, a grin breaking across his face when he saw that his friend was still in one piece, rubbing the animal's neck as it squawked at him fondly.

Baekhyun acted even more dramatic with his relief, placing a hand over his racing heart and crouching down to the floor to settle himself while Yixing found his behavior laughable.

"This is Buckbeak," Yixing said and the hippogriff seemed to understand his name, squawking even more happily than before and rubbing his head against Yixing's, nearly toppling over the student. "He was in a case at the Ministry and was sentenced to death, but he escaped. After passing through a couple of owners, he just stays here now. I discovered him after reading up on hippogriffs while we were studying them."

"How is it that Hogwarts seems to be turning into a zoo for magical creatures?" Baekhyun laughed, still recovering from the shock that the creature that had terrified him only moments earlier was now enjoying it as Yixing rubbed his neck and scratched his feathers.

"Do you want to try now?" Yixing said and it was almost as if Buckbeak had understood too, the two of them looking at Baekhyun expectantly. The younger boy's heart sped up and he recognized the feeling of adrenaline dumping itself in his system before he took a deep breath and nodded, feeling safe now that he knew Yixing was watching as he stood up and dusted off.

With one more breath to try in vain to calm himself, Baekhyun focused on the hippogriff's great eyes and stepped forward calmly.

\---

"Don't you even _think_ about going out there while this is happening-" Chanyeol said, grabbing Jongdae's arm and digging his nails in it, pulling the smaller boy back behind the tree they were hiding behind.

"He's going to die, Yeol!" Jongdae whipped around to look at Chanyeol, his eyes wide with fear and he sighed, knowing already that this was going to be a problem. The taller clamped one hand on the other's mouth and turned him around so he was watching Baekhyun without the stress of worrying if he was going to cry out or not.

Chanyeol agreed that Baekhyun was playing with death here as they watched their friend finish the deep respectful bow and stood close to the creature, his hands shaking. Chanyeol didn't realize he was holding his breath until after the animal bowed down too, smiling at the utter idiocy of his friend as Baekhyun let out a happy laugh and pet the beak of the hippogriff.

Jongdae licked his palm from where it was covering his hand, immediately making Chanyeol draw back in disgust as he wiped the saliva onto his cloak. He looked at Jongdae with venom in his gaze but the other boy was oblivious to it, annoyance evident in his features.

"Can I confront him now?" He hissed and Chanyeol sighed again, looking back at Baekhyun who was smiling at the other boy who he still hadn't recognized, as the hood of his cloak was covering his head.

It was the split second of hesitation that Jongdae needed before the secret was revealed.

\---

"What do you think you're doing?" A voice that Baekhyun knew all too well shouted in the trees behind him and he whipped around, shocked.

There Jongdae stood, watching him and Yixing with his jaw set and Baekhyun could see Chanyeol only a few feet away, looking at him sheepishly from behind a tree trunk.

The anger exploded inside him as he realized what they had done.

"You followed me here?" Baekhyun half-shouted, even more taken aback as the statement made him realize it fully. His heart actually hurt as the trust in his best friends shattered inside of him.

Jongdae hesitated, noting the obvious anger in his expression before beginning to respond.

"Of course we did, you were acting all weird. And it's all his fault!" Jongdae blamed, pointing at Yixing who looked like he was about to have a nervous breakdown at the confrontation. When Baekhyun noticed he softened and reached behind to give his fingers a squeeze with a hidden message.

_I will take care of this, I promise._

"You guys don't understand, and I didn't want to keep it from you but I had to," Baekhyun spoke now, all fight in him lost as he realized that they had caught _him_ in the wrong and not the other way around.

Jongdae sputtered on his words, looking at him with a betrayed look at the statement. It was expected - he had never hidden anything from the two of them before.

"Is this all of it? You were sneaking off to see a hippogriff? With some kid? What did you have to hide from us?" Jongdae asked with a bite in his voice that made Baekhyun wince. The only thing he could get through his head during that moment was _Yixing and Lorena, I have to protect them_.

"There's much more than that," Baekhyun admitted, staring at the floor with shame. His eyes burned with tears threatening to spill as Yixing kicked him from behind as a warning but it was too late. They had to know now.

Chanyeol scoffed this time and Baekhyun looked up to meet the eyes that usually looked so bright turn cold.

"Well when you're ready to tell us your oh so giant secret, come find us. Until now we'll leave, since it seems we don't know you at all," Chanyeol said and Baekhyun almost whimpered as the boy wrapped his arm around Jongdae's shoulder and turned him away, walking off but not without one more dig at him, muttered and carried back to him by the breeze.

"Some best friend you are."

That one stung the worst and Baekhyun didn't even wait for them to go out of earshot before he crumpled to the ground, sobs breaking through him as his heart broke for everything he knew he had just lost. He knew he didn't deserve Yixing's sweet words in his ear as he tried to comfort him and tried to push off his touches, to no avail. Yixing wrapped his arms around the Slytherin as he gave up and cried into his chest. He had just lost Chanyeol and Jongdae and he knew Lorena and Yixing were already almost gone too with the confrontation and explanation he still owed them.

"If I had only been better at hiding it, this wouldn't have happened," Baekhyun said, his voice shaking but Yixing only shushed him and ran his hands through his hair, calming him down slowly.

"You can still fix this, Baek," Yixing whispered once his cries had subsided. Baekhyun's heart still ached at the thought of having to reveal Lorena's existence and putting her in unthinkable danger, just because she had hatched to his friend.

Baekhyun still couldn't speak and he just felt numb all over. Buckbeak had laid down and nudged him comfortingly but Baekhyun didn't even have the energy to pet him, locked in his own mind.

"We can get through this," Yixing whispered over and over into his hair as Baekhyun gave up worrying, just closing his eyes and letting the other boy's words and touches wash over him.

"We can get through this."

\---

Baekhyun returned from Hogsmeade by himself early.

He could still feel the tear streaks on his face, frozen in the cold as he trudged in the snow that had only begun to fall harder. He only spared a few glances around to see if he was alone - it was certain that he was, though. Not many students decided to skip out on a Hogsmeade visit. But under any other circumstances, Baekhyun would have been more careful about entering the Forbidden Forest alone in broad daylight.

He reached the edge of the trees he now knew so well and as he walked down the same path he was so used to, Baekhyun could feel the lump in his throat return with a vengeance and he swallowed it back, continuing to walk closer.

He was not far now and he reached to push away the leaves hiding her. Lorena looked up at him and she immediately sensed something was wrong as her consciousness met with his own and her feelings of worry melted with his own. He relived each memory of Buckbeak and Chanyeol and Jongdae in front of his eyes as she watched. The dragon, now larger than the first time he had seen her, lifted her webbed wing and Baekhyun crawled up right next to her body and sat with his back against her as her wing lowered, shielding him from the world and surrounding him with a comforting darkness.

"What am I going to do?" Baekhyun said out loud, his voice wavering. He could feel Lorena's pain at seeing him like this through their mind's connection as she projected her thoughts.

_Talk to your friends. It is not the end yet. If they truly love you, they will help you do what is best._

Baekhyun whined and closed his eyes in frustration. The image of his best friends for all of his student life walking away from him kept replaying and he felt trapped in his own mind.

"What if that's not true? What if they turn us in anyway?" He said, voicing out his worst fear. He reached a gloved hand out and rubbed her scales, the idea of her disappearing too much to handle.

She waited a long time to say anything, but when she did, it was no less than what he expected from her wisdom.

_I think that we need to end this secret. It's too much. Tell your friends; they are the ones who deserve an explanation. They are confused and betrayed, and feel as if they don't truly know you anymore._

Baekhyun nodded before he realized she couldn't see him and just sniffled. His heart was heavy, but he knew what he had to do now, and that was all he had come for.

Lorena lifted her wing, knowing that he was ready to leave but he didn't move yet. He just wanted to stay there for a few moments longer to forget about everything. However, it wasn't that easy.

Baekhyun sat up, his robes wet from the snow covered ground but he didn't care. He vaguely realized he should hurry unless he wanted to freeze to death and looked back at her once more. The dragon was looking at him with almost sad eyes and he remembered so clearly the first time he had seen her.

"I'll be back tonight with Yixing, I promise," He told her and he breathed a little easier now that he expected some normalcy. Lorena rearranged her wings and continued to watch him.

_Don't. Figure this problem out and rest tonight. We can take a break after this. I will be fine alone._

Baekhyun was about to open his mouth to argue but the dragon set her head down on the ground and closed her eyes and he knew that she wouldn't respond to him. Finally he sighed and heeded her word, turning around and making the walk back to the castle, but not without a final glance back at her resting form in the distance. He decided he would wait for Jongdae and Chanyeol in the common room and tell them everything once he could.

He realized as he walked back that if he had told them about Lorena when he had first discovered her, they probably would have accepted it in a heartbeat and never told anyone. However, now he wasn't so sure and his heart was paralyzed with fear. He took deep breaths as he walked the empty corridors and into the Slytherin dungeon.

He just needed to have faith, that's all.

\---

"Are you going to explain now?" Chanyeol's voice called and Baekhyun jumped, having been too lost in his thoughts to hear him. His heart skipped as he looked up and saw his friends' faces. However angry at him they looked, they were still the same faces that he had trusted all these years.

Baekhyun began to fiddle with his fingers, anxiety taking him over and he knew they could tell because both of their faces softened and some of the anger left.

"You might want to sit," Baekhyun started with and they both complied. With a deep breath, he began to speak and he didn’t stop until he was done, scared that if he took a break he wouldn’t be able to return to it. He told them more than the secret, telling them the whole story, every visit and how a deep care for both Yixing and Lorena had developed and how it had affected him. His heart hoped that the two of them could hear the truth in his words but he was still so terrified, his voice shaking when he reached the end and they weren’t looking at him.

There was a beat of silence and it felt like the seconds had been stretched into hours as Baekhyun waited.

"I just don't understand why you didn't trust us enough to tell us earlier," Jongdae started and when he looked in Baekhyun's eyes, Baekhyun could see the betrayal still hiding there though there was understanding as well.

"It was a huge secret and so much could go wrong," He said, but he knew it wasn’t enough in their eyes. It had made sense to Baekhyun in the beginning, but if he went back he didn't know what he would do.

Chanyeol was staring at him still and Baekhyun avoided his gaze, scared he would tell Baekhyun to shut it down.

"Is that everything that's happened?" Chanyeol asked and Baekhyun nodded furiously. Chanyeol only watched him for a few more seconds before he sighed and closed his eyes, a smile on his face that shocked Baekhyun.

"Why do you think we won't keep the secret now? Because you can trust us. We'll protect your dragon," Chanyeol said and Baekhyun couldn't stop the relieved tears from falling, looking down as embarrassment washed over him. He covered his face with his hands and he heard Chanyeol's laugh as he sat next to him and squeezed his shoulders.

"Don't cry," He says and Baekhyun wiped his eyes as he looked up, a bright smile on his face as he looked back and forth between his two friends, Chanyeol smiling and Jongdae watching him fondly.

There really was no reason to doubt them, was there?

\---

When Baekhyun had told Yixing that Lorena would stay safe, he was ecstatic and hugged the boy until he couldn't breathe, tears falling just like they had for Baekhyun.

They had decided that they would see her again that weekend and every hour sitting in classes was almost torture. He couldn't focus on the 4 foot long essay he had due for potions when he knew he would be free again in only a few days' time.

However, just as the final class of the day let out, History of Magic, Professor Binns called both him and Yixing to his desk and Baekhyun felt himself clam up.

"The headmistress informed me that she would like to see both of you in her office after dinner tonight," the ghost professor looked bored as he relayed the information and Baekhyun froze, refusing to process the information.

There could be no other explanation for the headmistress needing to see them both.

They had been found out.

He looked at Yixing who did not turn back to Baekhyun. He nodded once with a slight grimace on his face before he turned away, walking down the hallway. Baekhyun had no idea how he was still composed as he followed him shakily out of the classroom.

His thought was answered as soon as they were out of view of the professor. The corridors were empty as they had been held back and everyone had already returned to their houses. This proved to be a good thing as the Hufflepuff slammed his back against the corridor wall and sank to the ground, hiding his face in his hands. Baekhyun sank down beside him and listened to the muffled cries of Yixing as he sat there, numb.

They were silent and Baekhyun's thoughts were racing. He only felt guilt deep inside of him as he realized it was his fault, all his fault. If only he had never gone so deep into the forest because of that dare, if only he had hid the secret better. _If only._

It struck him in that moment that Chanyeol or Jongdae had to have told; he had told no one else. Anger went through him and he clenched his hands in his fists. He was certain that whatever betrayal the two of them were feeling when they found out was nothing compared to what he felt right now.

_"Why do you think we won't keep the secret now? Because you can trust us. We'll protect your dragon."_

Lies.

Baekhyun couldn't help the tears either as he wondered where Lorena was and if she was still alright. The only thread of hope he still had was besides him, breaking down and it felt like his world was crumbling around him.

All he knew was that he was definitely losing at least one friend today.

\---

The walk to the headmistress's office was a silent one that felt like it was winding on forever as Baekhyun walked slowly, a numb feeling still overtaking him.

He had no idea what to expect and a million different outcomes were running through his head, including being expelled, having to go on trial, and a thousand more inevitable punishments.

Yixing was behind him but the only time he spared a single glance to him was right before he gave the password to the office and he regretted it after. Yixing was staring at the floor and he looked utterly broken. Baekhyun looked away with a heavy heart before they stepped onto the spiraling stairs that ascended to the office.

When Baekhyun looked inside, his blood began to boil.

Sitting in her chair was a stern looking Headmaster McGonagall, which he had expected, but standing beside her desk with his eyes on the floor was Jongdae. Baekhyun was glad that his friend didn't have it in him to look up and meet his eyes because he was certain that if looks could kill, Jongdae would have burned to the ground.

"Let's get right to it, shall we?" The headmistress began to speak, her tone already stern and Baekhyun winced. She alternated between looking at Yixing and Baekhyun, her glare making Baekhyun want to squirm and the guilt go deeper.

"Both of you know what you are here for and I am appalled. It is beyond me to comprehend what would bring you to attempt to hide such a creature on school grounds on top of escaping after curfew to go see it. And what is even worse, is Mr. Kim says you two have attempted to tame a hippogriff who has stayed in our vicinity without being disturbed for years now on top of it, as well as the other magical creature populations you have bothered in the forest," She spoke and Baekhyun was absolutely certain now that they were going to be expelled or even worse. He looked down at his feet in utter shame.

"Mr. Zhang, you can come place your prefect badge on my desk, but don't even think that is the end of your punishment," She ordered and Baekhyun winced. Yixing besides him did not move, his feet glued to the ground even when Headmistress McGonagall spoke again with venom in her voice.

"What's going to happen to her?" Yixing's voice broke and Baekhyun squeezed his eyes shut as his heart panged with guilt at the thought of the dragon that everyone knew Yixing was talking about. Baekhyun looked up at the ceiling for a second and wished with all his might that he could disappear or go back in time. Anything to fix this.

When the headmistress spoke again, it was less strict.

"We have not bothered the dragon yet. It was decided that reasoning with her would be difficult and we will give you her outcome for you to inform her yourselves, accompanied by a chaperone," Headmistress McGonagall spoke. Baekhyun let out a breath.

She continued to speak, stripping them of Hogsmeade privileges among others for the remainder of their time at Hogwarts, and placing them both on probation. She warned them and only spared them from expulsion because of how close they were to finishing their schooling anyway. She took away a giant amount of points from both of their houses, gave them an extensive amount of detentions, and warned about letters written home as well. Baekhyun barely took in the punishments, instead deciding to glare at Jongdae and swearing to himself that he would make his housemate miserable.

The twist in the knife only came after she was done berating them.

"Mr. Kim, you have earned 150 points for your house for showing integrity in bringing the issue to light even despite your own personal hesitations."

It was not enough to close the gap between Baekhyun's loss of points for the house, but it was certainly enough to make him burn with hate. Baekhyun was exercising all his self-control not to pull out his wand and jinx Jongdae into oblivion. But the headmistress wasn't finished either.

"You may replace Mr. Zhang as prefect and you are given permission to be in charge of watching Mr. Byun. Don't let him sneak off again," Baekhyun couldn't help himself. He laughed, a cruel cold sound and he didn't know what had overcame the headmistress to torture him so badly.

"Do you find this funny, Mr. Byun?" The headmistress spoke and Baekhyun truly had to have gone mad when he responded.

"Yes, actually," He grinned madly and he saw the shock in her eyes. "Can you please just tell us what's happening to Lorena so we can go say goodbye to her because _you're_ taking her from us?"

The tension in the room grew but Baekhyun found that he just didn't care anymore. Let her do what she wanted to him.

The headmistress moved to open her mouth but shut it again. Her mouth drew into a thin line and her gaze would have made Baekhyun crawl if he wasn't so unbelievably numb.

"She is to leave and not return. We will not argue punishments or rewards for the dragon, except for that request. You may speak to her tonight under the supervision of Mr. Kim," The headmistress spoke and then with a wave of her hand, dismissed all three of the students. Baekhyun moved the fastest towards the door, wanting nothing more than to put as much distance between himself and Jongdae as possible.

When they walked out of the office, Baekhyun was ready to sprint and never turn back, but something held him back. A warm hand that had been in his countless times slipped into his own and Baekhyun found that he was glued to the ground.

"I'm sorry," Baekhyun whispered to Yixing and the only indication that he had heard was in the squeeze of his hand that he got bad. They made the silent trek back and he watched Yixing split down a certain corridor with a heavy heart, heading to his own house commons.

 _What have I ever done to deserve him?_ , Baekhyun thought as he walked, emotions hitting him all at once but also not feeling them at all.

Back in the Slytherin dorms, though, Baekhyun had finally exhausted himself and was ready to crawl into bed and forget about everything for a few hours before night fell. But life wasn't so simple for him.

"Baekhyun, will you listen to me?" Jongdae's voice whispered, as if scared and Baekhyun almost snorted - Jongdae had every reason to be scared of him right now.

"And what reason could you possibly give to justify what you just did?" He spoke, spitting the words as he stared out the window of their dorm room, refusing to turn around and look at Jongdae.

There was a beat of silence before Jongdae spoke up, his voice shaking.

"I see how you look at him. I'm not stupid, Baek."

Baekhyun was so confused that he turned around and met his eyes. Though every fiber of his being hated the boy right now, part of him still hurt as Jongdae looked so scared to speak, as if any move he made would cause Baekhyun to do something terrible.

"What do you mean?" He asked and that's when Jongdae snapped.

"I've been here _all along_ , and you've _never_ noticed! I was so certain it was impossible for you to feel the same and then I find you two in the forest and you're holding his hand and you look at him like that and I was so _jealous_ that I couldn't _think_. I just wanted him to get away from you and I was hoping after this he'd hate you, but now all that's happened is _you_ hate _me_ , and I was too dumb to see that it would end like this."

The words from Jongdae's mouth were foreign to him and he couldn't wrap his head around it. What was Jongdae jealous of? What did he mean about the way he looked at Yixing?

"Jongdae, what are you talking about?" Baekhyun asked, genuinely confused, and the boy screamed in frustration.

"I'm in love with you, you idiot! I have been ever since I saw you the first time as a stupid first year and you've never spared a second glance at me," Jongdae's face was shining with tears and Baekhyun froze, shell-shocked.

_It was impossible._

But somehow it all made sense.

Jongdae had never had a girlfriend or a crush for as long as Baekhyun had known him. He had sometimes cuddled with him and held him in the dorm while they studied, but had never thought anything of it. He remembered Jongdae asking him if his hair looked okay or something equal to that and how Baekhyun would call him handsome, only to be told to stop with a slight blush. Jongdae had always told more things to Chanyeol and would push him away when Baekhyun asked him what was wrong and he realized Jongdae must've been talking about how he felt about him. Baekhyun remembered with an aching heart how he had let go of Jongdae's hand so quickly in the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, only less than a week ago. He felt guilt run through him again as he realized how he must have been sending all the wrong signals and sending his best friend on an emotional roller coaster ride for _nothing_.

"Dae," Baekhyun whispered, all previous anger gone, and he stepped forward wanting to take the boy in his arms and hold him, not knowing how else to apologize for what he's done. However, Jongdae only whimpered and stepped away.

"Don't," He spoke, his voice stronger now even though his eyes were still watery. "Don't act like you feel the same. Don't act sorry. I see the way you look at him. You just haven't figured it out for yourself yet," Jongdae spoke and he only looked at Baekhyun one more time before he left the dorm room, his steps fading as he walked down the stairs.

Baekhyun was only left in a state of even more confusion and he reached up and pushed his hair back, not knowing how to comprehend what had just happened or even able to wrap his head around it. _Jongdae_ , with his constant happy smile and his witty jokes loved him and he had been too thick to see it. Baekhyun gave up as he laid down in his bed and closed his eyes, wanting to forget.

\---

Baekhyun hadn’t been able to nap like he had wanted to before the night fell, tossing and turning while his mind raced with all the new information. He had given up at this point, throwing the covers off of himself and running his hands through his hair when Chanyeol walked in unexpectedly, looking as tired as Baekhyun felt.

The other boy didn't say a word and sat down next to Baekhyun on the bed, the mattress sinking with the added weight. Baekhyun knew it was illogical and Chanyeol hadn't done anything to hurt him, but he still coiled away a little and refused to look at the taller Slytherin - he had suffered too much betrayal and confusion for one day and couldn’t help being overly wary.

The dorm was still, neither boy looking at the other and the only sound coming from the birds that chirped outside, the sun setting out the window.

"So you know now," Chanyeol said and Baekhyun knew that he could only be talking about Jongdae. Baekhyun stared at the same spot on the neighboring bed that his eyes had been fixated on for the past few minutes as he nodded once. Chanyeol chuckled, making Baekhyun confused. He turned to look at Chanyeol and the other boy was wearing a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes

"I don't agree in the slightest with what he did," Chanyeol said and Baekhyun's heart twinged as he was brutally reminded of the time in the headmistress's office. "But I was starting to wonder when he would break from how much you were torturing him."

Guilt curled at his insides terribly and Baekhyun sighed. It wasn't like he had been _trying_ to hurt his friend, and he felt terrible that he hadn't even noticed the signs that were staring him right in the face the whole time. Jongdae didn't usually cry, as he was always the bright light and moodmaker in their group, but meeting his eyes as they shone with tears revealed a heartache to Baekhyun that had plagued Jongdae under the surface all along.

"What am I supposed to do?" Baekhyun asked Chanyeol hopelessly and the question was loaded with much more than just Jongdae - what was he going to do about Lorena, what was he going to do about his punishments for the rest of his wizarding education, what was he going to do about the friend who he felt like he no longer knew.

Chanyeol wrapped an arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders and he was grateful for the touch, feeling a little more grounded with someone still by his side even through all that was happening.

"First you have to know what's in your heart. Everything else will come after," Chanyeol whispered, his deep voice still clear in the silent room. The advice did nothing for Baekhyun other than confuse him further and he wanted to ask Chanyeol what he meant. He never got the chance. Chanyeol stood up and walked to the dorm door, looking back at Baekhyun with a knowing look.

"Get some rest, you'll probably go down to the forest in an hour or so," Chanyeol ordered before waving at him once and disappearing out of sight, leaving Baekhyun once again with his racing thoughts.

\---

As the snow broke under his feet, leaving giant tracks on the forest floor, Baekhyun only felt numb.

He was walking the same trail he knew like the back of his own hand by now, but it was different at the same time. The mood was overwhelmingly somber instead of excited as it usually was. The buzzing under his skin in anticipation that normally accompanied the walk was missing, and Baekhyun sighed as he listened to Yixing and Jongdae’s footsteps behind him.

In spite of the fact that the anticipation of what they were steadily approaching was overwhelming, Jongdae was the main factor making Baekhyun so uncomfortable. His friend was ashamed to even look him in the eyes and spoke to Yixing and Baekhyun with as little emotion as Baekhyun felt. Part of Baekhyun wanted to reach out and comfort Jongdae, but he was still angry at him for even putting him and Yixing in this position and shook off the thoughts as soon as they crossed his mind.

Finally, they reached the edge of the clearing and terror ran through Baekhyun. He stopped dead in his tracks, not wanting to move any further because doing so meant that this was real and it was truly happening.

They were going to say goodbye.

Yixing pushed the low-hanging branches back and pushed Baekhyun in ahead of him. The three boys walked in and rearranged the branches behind them, alone except for the dragon who was standing, her head reaching the treetops. It struck Baekhyun in that moment that they wouldn't have been able to hide her much longer after that day anyway - soon enough she was going to be too large for the trees that had hid her during the duration of her young life.

Baekhyun heard Jongdae's gasp from seeing her in real life and it struck him how much more intimidating she was now than when Baekhyun had seen her the first time. Under normal circumstances he would have smirked in amusement, but today was nowhere near normal circumstances.

 _I know what you’ve come to do_ , Lorena thought and from the sharp intake of breath from Jongdae beside him, Baekhyun concluded that she had to have projected the words to all three of them.

_I have known this was coming for a long time. So I am leaving you tonight._

Yixing broke in that moment and ran forward to her. The dragon ducked her head down to meet him as he wrapped his hands around her neck, which had filled out considerably compared to months ago, much more flexible and muscular now.

It was a long moment before Yixing allowed himself to pull away from his dragon, his sobs quieting as he rubbed at his eyes, his back facing Baekhyun and giving him the unmistakable view of his crouched form shaking with what could be nothing other than tears wracking his body. Baekhyun felt like an intruder as he watched Yixing and Lorena, staring down at the ground and trying to focus on something else, even while the sounds of Yixing's uncontrollable little gasps cut into his concentration.

 _Come here, Baekhyun_ , the dragon spoke calmly and Baekhyun walked forward with no hesitations, standing beside Yixing as Lorena brought her head down and stared into Baekhyun's eyes with sadness in her own. He was reminded again of the much younger dragon that had stood before him only a few months before, and it tugged at his heart.

“Will you be alright?” Baekhyun asked, worry for her overtaking him as he reached up and rubbed the scales on her nose gently, completely aware that this could be the last time he ever saw her.

 _Baekhyun_ , her voice in his head was a whisper and he almost whimpered at the fact that she had called him by his name instead of the endearing nickname she usually went with. _I have found a home with dragons in the mountains in a recent flight while anticipating this day. I had already asked permission to join them. I knew our days were numbered before your friends suspected anything in the village of Hogsmeade. Forgive your friend. Our separating is not his fault._

Baekhyun was shocked when the words registered. Her feelings of protectiveness towards the two boys were washing over him through their touching minds and there was a moment where they only basked in the feeling of their minds being connected. The flow of thoughts in Baekhyun’s brain held both his and Lorena’s. Her thought process was still alien to his human mind, but it was a foreign feeling that he had grown comfortable with and his heart ached as he realized that he would probably never feel it again.

When she spoke again, it was with their last exchanged words that he would never forget.

_Watch over your heart, Baekhyun. It gets you into much trouble. Though dragons could not smile, he felt like he could hear the small amused smile in her voice. She turned her massive head to Yixing, who was now watching the ground, still on his knees. The pained position that Baekhyun saw Yixing in hurt him deeply and he wished to hold his hand and comfort him until he could soak up all the pain the boy ever had felt._

__

__

_Take care of him. Your heart already knows how; we must only wait until your mind catches up._

There were the cryptic words about Yixing that Baekhyun still did not understand. Except now, as he watched Yixing raise his face to look up at the never-ending stars in the sky and close his eyes as he breathed in the night air, it clicked in Baekhyun's mind.

_“I see how you look at him, Baek. I'm not stupid.”_

_“First you have to know what's in your heart. Everything else will come after.”_

_“Take care of him. Your heart already knows how; we must only wait until your mind catches up.”_

How had he not recognized the truth in the words until now?

Baekhyun's breaths got shallower and he looked away from Yixing, but it helped none as his body grew fuzzy everywhere with the shock of realization. His thoughts were only Yixing, Yixing, _Yixing_. Baekhyun’s thoughts were remembering every touch they had shared over the months, every time the Hufflepuff had played with his hair calmly and it had felt so natural and set his skin on fire though he thought nothing of it. He remembered every time Yixing would hold his hand and guide him in the forest and Baekhyun was always content to follow him, just enjoying the other’s company. He remembered how he had always been buzzing with anticipation with every new chance to meet. 

Warmth flooded Baekhyun’s body inexplicably and when he looked up to meet Lorena's eyes that had been the window into her emotions ever since the Slytherin had met her, they glowed with something completely different from ever before, but it was still unmistakable - pride.

 _You understand now_ , she said simply and he nodded, much happier than he had been in a long time, his heart beating wildly.

Lorena twisted her neck one more time and he rubbed her on the nose once more, feeling nothing other than thankfulness for the fact that he had stumbled into the Forbidden Forest on a dare of fate that day. She blinked her massive eyes once more.

_Goodbye now. I love you, little one. Don’t forget it._

As she backed away and shook out her webbed wings, stretching them out, Baekhyun felt nothing other than pride and happiness. He smiled as he watched her lift from the ground and beat her wings, pushing the wind back down onto them as she soared upward, flying across the treetops and breathing one stream of fire in celebration. Baekhyun couldn’t help but let the happiness wash over him as the last of her consciousness disconnected from his own and the clearing felt empty. The air was still once more.

\---

They walked back in silence and the image of Lorena flying away burned in his mind, a ghost behind his eyelids whenever he blinked. His heart was beginning to ache uncomfortably and he quickened his step to match Yixing’s stride, reaching for his hand to give it a squeeze.

He was shocked, however, when Yixing pulled his hand back like Baekhyun’s skin had burned him. Baekhyun’s step almost faltered completely and Yixing must have caught it but he spoke in a monotone as he kept his eyes forward.

"Baekhyun, you know that I care for you, but I can't see you right now. It reminds me of her and it hurts too much."

Baekhyun felt like his chest had collapsed and he fought his lungs to keep his breaths from becoming too shallow as fear encompassed him.

"Is this goodbye then?"

There was a pregnant pause before Yixing responded again in the same emotionless tone that Baekhyun already hated.

"No. Just a break. I can't look at you without getting angry."

"But-"

"Goodbye, Baekhyun. For now."

And with that, Yixing walked faster and Baekhyun let him disappear ahead of him, rooted to the ground.

\---

The choked words that Yixing had exchanged with him as they walked under the cover of the night after Lorena disappeared had only left Baekhyun with more of a broken heart. Baekhyun tried his hardest to understand Yixing, but it just led to thoughts of missing the gentle conversations they would have under the cover of night and the hidden touches and his heart ended up aching more.

Jongdae and Chanyeol left him alone for the most part, though he wished they wouldn't. When they watched him like he was made of glass and would break, it made his fake smiles in front of their peers feel even less convincing. Baekhyun wished he could just continue to joke and act like nothing had happened, but at night when he laid in his bed and his mind was free, all he wished for was Yixing's sweet smile and laugh to be directed at him again.

Baekhyun would be sitting at the breakfast table with his fellow Slytherins around him and would sneak a glance at the Hufflepuff table and catch Yixing looking at him. Baekhyun would smile and wave, but the other boy would just look down back into the book he was reading, which was usually related to magical creatures, and his heart hurt more.

Sometimes he would feel eyes on him in their History of Magic classroom and would turn around to find Yixing staring at him in between taking notes from Professor Binns' lectures. It was always short lived, though, as Yixing looked away to dive back into his notes with the sad look in his eyes that had become too prominent since that night.

It had been weeks in this unspoken state between the two and Baekhyun was starting to tire of it. He only missed his friend and his patience for Yixing had grown thin - the situation dragged his entire alertness level down as his thoughts were overtaken by it.

Because of this unfortunate mindset his brain was stuck on nowadays, Baekhyun hadn't spared a second thought when Chanyeol and Jongdae had invited him to the deciding Quidditch match for Slytherin - their team's chances for the Quidditch Cup were riding against Ravenclaw that night and Jongdae had already been a nervous wreck when he was changing into his green robes, leaving for warm-up before students could arrive at the pitch later that night. Baekhyun was tired from taking notes out of his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook on werewolves, so he decided it would be alright to wear his green scarf and wave the Slytherin flag as he watched Jongdae play for one night.

He and Chanyeol trudged down the grounds towards the Quidditch Pitch relatively late, the chatter from the pitch reaching them as students in various house spiritwear flooded into the seats ahead of them. Baekhyun was practically dragging his feet, fighting to keep his eyes open as he thought longingly of how nice a nap would have been if he had thought of it earlier.

All of a sudden, he was surprised to feel his weight lifted from the ground and he positively shrieked as he grabbed at the first thing that he could reach, which happened to be the front of Chanyeol's robes. Baekhyun yanked on them once he got a good grip against better judgement, making the taller boy give a shout.

Baekhyun stopped panicking as he realized his friend had scooped him off of his feet and he sighed in relief before wriggling in Chanyeol’s grip, wanting to be set down again.

"Why'd you do that?" Baekhyun whined, kicking his legs to no avail as Chanyeol laughed loudly in his ear.

"Are you awake now?" Chanyeol teased and Baekhyun groaned because yes, he's certainly awake now with how much his heart is racing from the fear of being lifted off the ground unexpectedly.

"I will offer you a piggyback ride down to the pitch, though," Chanyeol offered, wearing his usual big elf grin as Baekhyun turned to him with excited wide eyes and nodded furiously. He was set down and once his feet reached the ground he jumped at once on Chanyeol's back. Their laughs rang in the air as they ran down the hill, Chanyeol trying not to drop his friend which caused scares more than once. Baekhyun was breathless and smiling when Chanyeol slowed down in front of the pitch, but he only got to feel exhilarated for a minute before he was smacked on the head with something and turned to identify it.

His heart skipped a beat when he realized it was a magicked paper airplane and he immediately jumped off of Chanyeol's back to pick it up, opening the parchment and reading it with a racing heart.

_Meet me in the place where it all began._

_Yixing_

Baekhyun grinned and turned, looking at Chanyeol who had read the letter and wore a similar surprised expression.

"Go. Jongdae's in charge of you but I’ll make sure he lets you go this time. I'll see you on the pitch!" Chanyeol called and Baekhyun wasted no time as he took off across the grounds, wide awake as he sprinted to the treeline and disappeared out of sight of the students at the match.

\---

Baekhyun tore through the trees, fighting the smile on his face as he ran down the familiar trail again. He ignored how some of the branches cut at his legs and arms as all attempts at carefulness that he would usually take were abandoned. It felt like coming home as he practically sprinted full-on when he saw the leaves that blocked the clearing and threw them to the side, breaking them behind him and making them fall to the ground.

He saw Yixing standing there looking nervous. The clearing looked empty without the familiar presence of Lorena, but Baekhyun didn’t get to dwell on that when their eyes met and the Hufflepuff smiled sweetly. It was just what Baekhyun needed and he wanted to run up and press his lips to his in that moment. 

Baekhyun was most certain of the fact that he knew how he felt about Yixing, who he had shared a whirlwind of unforgettable memories within only a short time; Baekhyun was most certain that he wanted him.

"I'm really sorry, Baekhyun. I shouldn't have pushed you away. I was just reminded that it was your friend who pushed her away and it was a terrible decision when you were suffering the same that I was-" Yixing started but he cut himself off as Baekhyun simply walked up to him. Baekhyun grabbed Yixing's hand and twirled his fingers, treasuring the feeling of his skin that he had so craved over their time apart.

"You know you don't have to say any of that," Baekhyun says and Yixing only looks at him with wide eyes, too stunned to speak. Baekhyun felt more bold in that moment than he had ever felt before and he intertwined his fingers with Yixing's, pulling their hands up so he could see how well they fit together.

"Lorena told me to take care of you," Baekhyun lowered his voice and suddenly the sounds of the forest around them seemed much louder. Baekhyun used the fact that Yixing was now completely focused on his words to drop his gaze down to around the older boy's collarbone, not feeling quite bold enough to look into his eyes.

"Lorena told me to take care of you the way that my heart knew how, even if my mind hadn't caught up yet," Baekhyun explained, somewhat breathlessly, and he squeezed their fingers together. He could feel Yixing's breath on him and if he leaned in closer, he imagined that he would be able to feel his heartbeat against his chest.

"My mind has caught up to my heart now," Baekhyun finally met their gaze again and the only warning that Yixing gave was a small smile before he pressed their lips together and Baekhyun couldn't help the surprised gasp as he melted into the Hufflepuff.

Yixing's hands ran over his sides and Baekhyun's heart raced as their lips moved in sync, their bodies intertwining as they stood up and drank each other in. Baekhyun placed his hand on Yixing's chest and felt the fast beat against his palm as he pulled back for air, lowering his gaze so that the older boy couldn't reach his lips as he panted and looked down at where his hand was.

"You've always had my heart, Baekhyun," Yixing whispered and Baekhyun looked up to him with redness in his cheeks, flustered from the boy's choice of words. HIs mind still hadn't fully comprehended what was happening, making Baekhyun run almost completely on impulse, which explained how he was the one to initiate the next kiss as the two boys finally fulfilled the need for each other that had grown from forbidden nights spent at each other's side, connected by a secret that they had both come to cherish.

And that same night was much the same as the ones they had missed over their time apart. Baekhyun had expected a Quidditch match but instead spent hours speaking with Yixing, drinking in his laughter and conversations about magical creatures and schoolwork and anything and everything, sometimes cut off by kisses because Baekhyun just couldn't handle how beautiful Yixing was in the moonlight.

By the time they both had realized that night had fallen and they couldn't hear the cheers from the Quidditch Pitch, Baekhyun's hair was ruffled, his cheeks were flushed, and his lips were puffy and kiss-bruised but he was content. And though he still had issues waiting for him back at the castle to work on, Baekhyun was able to forget them for that short while and he knew that lying on the forest floor with Yixing was the place that he belonged in that moment - he wouldn't give anything to change it.

And somewhere in the nearby mountains, the jade green dragon that had united the two in the first place twisted her head up to the sky and illuminated the night with her brilliant fire.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the wonderful mods of xingtomybaek, my three betas, and my wonderful internet friend T, who stuck for me throughout the entire writing process, even if it meant staying up way too late on school nights to finish writing. And of course, thank you to the readers! <3


End file.
